Archers, including (left to right) Scott Hodson of Portland, Oregon, Nick Ward of Libertyville, Illinois and Todd Barrowclift of St. Charles, Illinois, take aim at a flying ring-necked pheasant during a traditional archery hunt at a private property in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.(Photo: Paul A. Smith)

PLEASANT PRAIRIE - A north wind was pushing through southeastern Wisconsin at a swift clip, like it was late for a spring break date to the south.

But a group of 65 people had a different get together in mind.

Their sights were set on Pleasant Prairie, no matter the weather, maybe even because of it.

"Cold, ice, mud, whatever," said Rudy Cariello, 66, of Racine. "You learn to appreciate the elements. It helps to do it with friends."

And for this crew, it's important to get outdoors in a particular style.

Cariello is ringmaster for this gathering, the annual Traditional Archery Pheasant Shoot.

Now in its 29th year, the event draws the group to a private hunt club for late winter camaraderie and the chance to pursue ring-necked pheasants with traditional archery equipment such as long bows and recurves.

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Traditional archery equipment, including a recurve bow and wooden shafted arrows with flu-flu fletchings, was used on the pheasant hunt.(Photo: Paul A. Smith)

Unlike more modern compound bows, the simpler equipment is preferred, both functionally and aesthetically, for quick, instinctive shots at flying game.

And for those of us who grew up shooting with traditional equipment, it harkens back to our days of youth.

"So much fun," said Rob Guarnaccio of Libertyville, Illinois, an annual participant in the shoot along with his wife, Wendy, and son Justin.

Cariello, his wife Harriet and Mike Salas of Kenosha founded the event.

Cariello, an avid traditional archer for six decades, said the idea for the pheasant hunt came when he, Salas and some other friends were at a mid-winter indoor shoot.

"We were at a target range, feeling cooped up, and thought to ourselves 'there's got to be something else'," Cariello said.

At the time, the group was either shooting indoor archery, ice fishing or "in the house moping," Cariello said.

By late winter, the Wisconsin bow hunting seasons had ended.

But what about something unconventional?

Salas, who had worked for a few years as a part-time guide at a private hunt club in Pleasant Prairie, suggested he approach the owner and ask if the archery group could pursue ring-necked pheasants on the property.

As the story goes, the owner laughed and said: "You want to try to shoot pheasants with a bow, go ahead!"

Salas and Cariello arranged to do it on a Monday, when the club was normally closed.

No birds were stocked; the hunters went after "carryovers," or pheasants and chukar partridge that were released previously but had so far escaped hunters and wild predators.

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Rudy Cariello of Racine is one of the founders of the Traditional Archery Pheasant Shoot.(Photo: Paul A. Smith)

The rules required the participants to use traditional archery equipment, such as long bows or recurves. The birds had to be shot on the wing. Arrows were required to have flu-flu fletching.

The first year 15 archers took part, Cariello said.

It was a hit.

The organizers decided to make it an annual event. Twenty-nine years later, it's going strong.

This year 65 archers took part, including several of the original cast.

Enough time has passed that some of the participants of the first annual now have grown children who take part each year.

Andy Meyer of Milwaukee was at the inaugural Traditional Archery Pheasant Shoot, and his son Oren Meyer, 35, of Milwaukee is now a regular attendee.

Ditto for Carl Spaeth Sr. of Zion, Illinois, and his son, Carl Spaeth Jr. of Pleasant Prairie. Salas' son also often participates.

"It's like we have an extended family of 65 people," Cariello said.

The event holds true to its original spirit of getting outdoors late in the Wisconsin winter, no matter the conditions, for an audacious traditional archery pursuit of upland game.

The rules help reinforce the ethos: Smiles are mandatory. Dogs must not be under control.

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Colorful flu flu fletching on wooden shafted arrows was part of the gear used in the Traditional Archery Pheasant Shoot.(Photo: Paul A. Smith)

Even the title of the event - Pheasant Shoot - reflects the wry humor of the founders.

Few pheasants are actually shot. If someone really wants to kill birds, they shoulder a scattergun rather than pick-up a long bow. But putting birds in the bag was never the main goal, anyway.

In the early days of the event, participants' names would be drawn from a hat to determine the hunting groups.

Over time that was changed, Cariello said, because it became apparent many were traveling to the event in hopes of hunting with a friend.

"For some of us now, it's the only time we see each other all year," Cariello said.

Cariello has generously included me in the extended family; this year marked the third time I participated.

On a bitterly cold but sunny day in late February, I hunted with a group that included Rob Wendy and Justin Guarnaccio of Libertyville, Illinois; Todd Barrowclift of St. Charles, Illinois; Scott Hodson of Portland, Oregon; and Nick Ward of Libertyville, Illinois.

The ages of our group ranged from 24 to 58.

We were led by Dell, Guarnaccio's rangy, energetic and skillful German wire-haired pointer.

We set out at 9 a.m. and headed east through a wooded area and into a wide marsh. The water was frozen which expanded the area we could access.

Ten minutes into our trek a rooster took flight from an oak woodlot. Two arrows clanged off branches as the bird sailed away unscathed.

We next pushed through a cattail stand. A hen and cock pheasant flushed and drew three more shots. The only retrieves necessary were of the arrows.

Our group served as a case in point about the close-knit group of family and friends at the event.

Hodson makes the trip from the Pacific Northwest to be able to catch up with the Guarnaccio family.

Hodson and Rob Carnaccio met at work in the construction industry many moons ago, and by the end of the first day were friends.

"(Our friendship) has revolved around building things, raising kids and hunting," Hodson said.

The Guarnaccio's are so passionate about traditional archery that they commissioned John McDonald, a master bow builder who lives in Wisconsin Rapids, to make a long bow for their granddaughter. She's just 11 months old.

About 10 a.m. Dell got birdy once again and went on point. As we approached, a rooster flushed and Rob Guarnaccio's shot at the crossing bird was true.

Dell leaped into a grassy swale after the bird and wagged back to Guarnaccio with the first retrieve of the day.

Over the next two hours, our group shot about 20 more times, producing one more bird, taken by Ward.

Pheasants harvested during the event are cleaned and later become fine meals.

At noon we stowed our gear in our vehicles and gathered in the clubhouse for lunch and festivities.

The three hours of brisk walking in the fresh air over varied terrain had energized the participants.

Spaeth Sr., who has participated in all 29 events, refers to the traditional archery hunt as "the rebirth of youth."

As we ate, Cariello called out the names of the team captains.

“How many birds?” he asked each.

Many responded with “zero.”

“Be proud,” Cariello said.

Three teams, it turned out, had each killed two birds. A shoot-off was held outside.

The teams were captained by Brian Dhuey, Guarnaccio and Roland Santos.

Each team picked two members to participate.

The shooters stood in a semi-circle on the trap range and a thrower tossed cardboard targets in the air.

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Archers attempt to hit a disc tossed in the air during a shoot-off at a traditional archery pheasant hunt in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.(Photo: Paul A. Smith)

The Guarnaccio team edged the other two and claimed bragging rights for 2019.

Back inside, raffle prizes were awarded.

The main raffle prize was a curly maple longbow hand-made and donated by John McDonald of Wisconsin Rapids.

Although only one hunter took the bow home, all of the participants claim a pair of bigger prizes - the friendship of a band of archers and the chance to do it again in 2020.